Comes a Time

by

Neil Young and Crazy Horse

Edit

I wrote in my review of the recently-released-on-CD _Old Ways_ that I liked it as well as I like _Comes a Time_. A minor correction: I think _Comes a Time_ still has a slight edge.

So that you know where I'm coming from: if I were asked to name Neil Young's very best album ever, I'd dither between _Tonight's the Night_ and _On the Beach_. But by and large, my favorite stuff to listen to over and over is his acoustic material. (Not exclusively, but overall.)

That means my favorite 'repeater' albums are _After the Goldrush_, _Harvest_, the acoustic 'sides' of _Rust Never Sleeps_ and _Hawks and Doves_, _Old Ways_, _Harvest Moon_, _Silver and Gold_, occasional songs from his other albums (e.g. 'Ambulance Blues' from _On the Beach_), and this one. (Oh, and of course _Decade_, which is where you should start if you haven't listened to Neil before.)

On to _Comes a Time_ itself. I've had it since it was first released on vinyl; I liked it then and I like it now.

It's mostly straightforward country-inflected folk. For most of it Neil is accompanied by the 'Gone with the Wind Orchestra' (led by Grant Boatwright, whose last name is consistently misspelled in the liner notes; they also play on the acoustic side of _Rust Never Sleeps_). Crazy Horse sits in on two tracks, though: the haunting 'Look Out for My Love', and 'Lotta Love'. The latter was also a hit for the late Nicolette Larsen, who sings harmony with Neil on nearly every song on this release (but _not_ on 'Lotta Love'; apparently they knew she'd be releasing a version of her own).

I feel almost disloyal to Neil in mentioning that one of my very favorite tracks is the one he didn't write: he and Nicolette do an absolutely stunning version of 'Four Strong Winds', written by Neil's fellow Canadian Ian Tyson (of Ian & Sylvia, whose version of the tune you can find on their album of the same name).

At any rate, the whole thing is gorgeous from start to finish -- even the unexceptional 'Motorcycle Mama', which Nicolette manages to bring to life. And if you read the liner notes carefully, you'll spot one or two interesting guests (notably J.J. Cale).

There weren't any 'hits' from this album, but I think it's one of Neil's most consistent efforts. If you like his acoustic side and you don't already have this one, check it out.